I’m not dead. I know that sounds like a silly statement to most people, but I noticed something happens to people surrounding folks who get diagnosed with a ‘disease.’ Suddenly the person afflicted is treated differently.

It sounds a little strange but I thought about this when I heard all the news about Sarah Palin and her anger/non-anger about people talking about her child with Downs Syndrome. There are certain realities that have to be faced about her child. Her child is different but the reaction some people have to her child can be considered by some to be overprotective. The thing is it’s not just her reaction but the reaction to others who would dare talk about the child.

About a year ago David Letterman made a comment about one of Sarah Palin’s daughters and there was a little bit of a backlash to it. When the Presidential aide made a comment in a private backdoor meeting that used, and I’ll be sensitive about this, the R word, she demanded he be fired and there was a mini dustup about the use of the word. There seemed to have been a double standard when Rush Limbaugh used the same word. I’m sorry Palin, but Rush Limbaugh didn’t use the word in satire the whole time during his tirade.

I doubt that if Family Guy didn’t have the former Alaskan Governor reference there would have been as much controversy of the Downs Syndrome character. Just like in any Family Guy episode, there were a lot of insults to go around. Hearing the whole episode other groups got more insults than the one throwaway line, but that caught the attention of the mass media. Hmm, doesn’t South Park with Timmy deal with Downs Syndrome kids, or does he have cerebral palsy which is OK to insult?

It’s an extreme case, but the media is quick to cocoon and protect the person with an ailment when that protection may not be necessary. I have diabetes and that word has a whole lot of meaning to a lot of people. The thing is even with stage 2 there is a whole range of options for someone with it. Right now my father has to take insulin to control his blood sugar. The image in the media of a diabetic is someone who has to watch their blood sugar all the time or they could go into a coma and die. In a sense people with diabetes are treated like cancer patients, at least to me. There is a constant battle to fight the disease or they could die.

I don’t take insulin. I monitor my blood sugar about four times a day, but my control is by diet. I know if I eat certain foods my glucose level will shoot up. If I have those foods in moderation I’m at normal levels. If I lose weight it can help with management of the glucose. I can have candy, sweets and pretty much any food I want in moderation and that won’t affect my glucose level.

What is frustrating to me is that my diabetes is lumped in with what I would call the extreme diabetes, the one that can’t be controlled with diet. Now sure, if I don’t watch what I eat and don’t try to maintain my levels I could get to where I need insulin shots. I’m not there at the moment, yet people who care about me treat me as if I’ve been handed a death sentence.

A perfect example happened when I told my parents I was visiting them in a few months. My mother said at first what I would like to have her make special for me, as in a favorite food. Before I could say anything she said she couldn’t do that because I had diabetes. My mother has a driving force in trying to get me to move to where they live because of the fear I could get sick and be out here alone. I was in the hospital one time and my mother is thinking that I need to constantly be in medical care even though I haven’t been to a doctor since before I lost my job and health insurance. Friends constantly ask if I’m doing what the doctor tells me about food, and I have to remind them I don’t have a doctor. I’m constantly reminded of things I shouldn’t eat because of postings I make, and when I tell people of what is actually happening with my body and why I may do some of the things I do, they feel I’m wrong because of information they’ve seen on a talk show.

I feel a lot of times people are so worried that something might happen to them they will fill themselves with information and be cautious of things that might not pertain to them. It really surprises me what foods I can eat that don’t adversely affect my glucose levels. That is unique to me and I wouldn’t advocate my regiment to other people. My parents get mad when I tell them if I’m sick I take massive amounts of water. They think it’s crazy because their doctor doesn’t have them do it but for me massive hydration balances me out.

I guess my concern in all of this is taking one element in a person’s life and making that the life. The concern is gratifying but each of us is unique and something that works for one may not work for someone else. It may be best to listen to the person before jumping to conclusions.